Trophy Travel (TM)

Forty-eight years ago, during the “Summer of Love,” three million concert-goers trekked to the lower Catskills in search of peace (and, of course, sex, drugs and Rock ‘n Roll). The location of the concert was not Woodstock, NY, as was the concert’s namesake, but rather the town of Bethel, NY. This historic gathering is still emitting memories, like the last gasp of incense burning in its ceramic holder. Visitors to the town of Woodstock can still regale themselves with tie-dye shirts, moccasins, flower child face paint and retro souvenirs. As Neil Young wrote, “Rock and Roll can never die.” Fifty miles northeast, trekkers can also find peace in the town of Mt. Tremper, NY at Emerson Spa and Resort. Although, I suppose, in this free nation of ours, one can also find sex, drugs and Rock ‘n Roll there, those particular indulgences are certainly not the focus of this jewel nestled in the Hudson Valley. At the Emerson, peace is procured in the form of spa treatments, clean air, outdoor Jacuzzi, delectable food at the Woodnotes Grill, and spacious accommodations. Within the resort, one can browse the various shops that offer products from apparel to decorative to home goods. The resort also lays claim to the largest kaleidoscope in the world. The psychedelic colors reflected and refracted from the shards of colored glass is reminiscent of the spirit and aura present in that Summer of Love so many years back. Named for Transcendentalist writer and thinker, Ralph Waldo Emerson, the resort and spa features his words on the hallway walls and within the rooms themselves, constant reminders of how nature and man are meant to live in harmony. Thus, the pampered traveler should branch out to walk the trails around the resort, or take a ride to the surrounding towns. If that wandering leads to the towns of Woodstock and Saugerties, be sure to stop by the Thomas Cole House and Studio. Master painter of the Hudson River School of Painting, Cole simply had to gaze at the majestic landscape surrounding his house, and paint what he saw and felt. His art brought the beauty of the human creative spirit with the inherent beauty of nature.